The impact of professional autonomy on the teaching effectiveness of geography teachers: a case study in Vietnam

Abstract

Professional autonomy is a crucial factor influencing teacher motivation, satisfaction, and performance. However, much of the existing research focuses on developed countries, while evidence from developing countries, particularly Vietnam, remains limited. This study aims to identify teachers’ professional autonomy as a crucial mediating mechanism linking contextual and organizational conditions with teaching effectiveness in schools. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 368 geography teachers in high schools in Hanoi. The proposed research model was tested using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The results show that leadership and organizational culture have the strongest impact on teachers’ professional autonomy, while the indirect influence of educational policy is relatively modest. These findings suggest that contextual, leadership, and organizational conditions contribute to teaching effectiveness by expanding teachers’ professional autonomy in classroom practice. This study expands on existing models of teaching effectiveness and leadership by positioning teacher autonomy as a crucial mediating mechanism linking policy and the organizational environment to subject-level teaching outcomes. Empirically, it provides concrete evidence for the subject of geography education, an area where large-scale quantitative studies on teacher autonomy and teaching effectiveness remain limited, particularly in developing and transitioning education systems.